Baker Blinker Blog Book I: Pre-Jeogeot I 06b (July/Aug 2008 02 of 02)

Update: ToT

Welp, now I have transferred the Temple of TILE over to the new properties.* After this, I was able to completely clear the Azure Island properties and put both up for sale. So I’m totally committed to the mainland now.

One trouble is that it’s a bit laggy at the new place. Lots of objects to deal w/ and textures to load. It was getting this way at Azure Islands too, so I know it’s not just the location. So I’m not sure how many tours I’m going to be giving. It could get a little embarrassing at times (like tonight!).

Next up is installing the Oblong series and perhaps the Newton series into the temple. Then I’ll start putting titles and price tags on everything. Gotta create notecards (Edwardston Station Gallery, photography exhibits, collage/world art exhibits, Temple of TILE). How does one exactly describe the temple, though, or give instructions for walking through it?

I’ve inserted some snapshots of the new look for the temple, sans the Asylum created pipes that wrapped around it for a bit over in the islands. Also I believe I already mentioned that I decided to delete the entire Sewer Wing. But I kept the holes the pipes use to be inserted into, filling them instead w/ pastel colored windows. It looks pretty nice, I think, and I’m still working on the new look.

I’ll have more to say about the temple/properties soon. Want to resume exploring the Atoll mountain ranges (*way* behind in giving out text for that story!) but I have to finish the gallery/temple first. But everything is basically in the temple. And ta boot I still have about 200 prims to work with, although 50 of that will be sucked up in more art prims (collages, photos). Still I could add some nice features, some pretty landscaping elements or sumtin. Should be fun. But the most important element is the mythology/philosophy attached to the place. The Edwardston Station Gallery *had* to be in this location — this is its true position, not the islands. I’ll give more reasons for this opinion soon.

Thanks for reading,
Baker Bloch
owner, Edwardston Station Gallery

* After writing this post, realized I should also probably add that I decided not to create a new, updated skybox combining the elements of B_Hivia (triangle based) and Temple of TILE (square based), as I theorized I might be doing in the post below this one. Just too much work at this time and too few prims. Probably wouldn’t have turned out well anyways. 🙂 And another imp. point is that I decided to lower the temple quite close to the ground, as you can do on the mainlands. Azure Islands zoning forbade the placement of skyboxes below 250 meters. So I took advantage of this new option. I think it fits in pretty well with the surrounding structures, especially Zarek’s gallery — look closely and you’ll see his 4 platforms closest to the temple are also tinted the TILE colors of red, green, yellow, blue (!). Just another indication that the temple is where it is suppose to be now, along with the gallery and station. I’ll give more photos soon.

Probabilities

“Hucka D., with your help we’re going to do a little experimenting tonight.”

Hucka D.:

Sounds good.

bb:

Tell us what you can about the Temple of TILE and whatever else comes to your mind tonight.

Hucka D.:

The Temple of TILE is a rough copy, a sketch almost, of a more polished temple that use to sit in almost that exact position in the Silver Forest. To review, the Ruby Forest still present very nearby is a remnant of the considerably larger Silver Forest — we know that now. The Silver Forest also spread out to CK’s land in [delete name] sim. That’s one reason she is involved in all this. And ZZ is involved in railroads so that’s why he would be interested in the Edwardston Station. You see, it’s all coming together for you baker, Bakers. CK’s land gives you an indication of the size of the Silver Forest; it’s almost 256 meters away. The forest may have covered 9 sims altogether, but my guess is that it’s more like 4. And it was a very magical forest, very powerful. It’s influence certainly continues today. The Ruby Forest contains remnants of this magic as well. Isn’t it good.

bb:

This has something to do with SID. Syd-to-SID.

Hucka D.:

Yes.

bb:

SID’s 1st Oz.

Hucka D.:

Walt SIDney. Magic Kingdom.

bb:

But more.

Hucka D.:

Some more.

bb:

This was a moth temple of sorts.

Hucka D.:

Yes. Built by the land loving moth people.

bb:

Did they leave behind clues to their history/religion/mythology in this forest?

Hucka D.:

In part. It’s more about the Ancients.

bb:

Aren’t the moth people the Ancients?

Hucka D.:

In part. The Ancients are still here. Users.

bb:

Ah, of course. The rl people behind the avatars.

Hucka D.:

Yes, that. But more. The complete set of people behind the avatars. Probabilities. We haven’t talked about that.

bb:

It’s not just rl verses sl?

Hucka D.:

No.

bb:

Like the offshoot of the Second Life railroad. This is a probable line.

Hucka D.:

Exactly. It is not on the grid currently, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t real. It’s just as real as any other offshot of the main line currently in existence.

bb:

In one probable reality the Silver Forest still exists.

Hucka D.:

Still exists on the Atoll.

bb:

We can enter that probability.

Hucka D.:

That we can. Through magic.

bb:

The door is opened.

Hucka D.:

Open. (pause — anticipating bb’s next comment/question): we have SID and that is all that is needed.

(to be continued?)

Updates; 10×10 Notecard

Gallery should be ready to open in a week or less. Today installed the entire Oblong collage series into the main part of the gallery, minus the 3 alcove areas which are instead reserved for “world art”. It fits very nicely, looping back into itself as you wander clockwise around the walls of this main section.

This is how it’s suppose to be, at least at first, at the opening. 1 of 3 alcoves, where you come up the escalator from the Edwardston Station, contains 2 late period Ernst paintings (which will not be for sale), continuing the one in the station itself… have more to say about that weird conjunction soon. Not sure yet what will be in the 2 other alcoves, both facing the Ruby Forest.

Also installed 2 floor teleporter systems for the Temple of TILE, one for the front rooms (3) and one for the back rooms (2), otherwise inaccessible essentially.

Did some landscaping, adding trees (mostly small cypresses), rocks, and also 2 pools on the ne and sw corners of the lower part of the gallery. Also added a barrel barricade at lower end of Photographer’s Alley.

Added sign in front; drink machines/newspapers/fountain/movie screen in middle level. Moved Art Gallery kiosk from Cecropia to this location, just in front of the new fountain.

Still need to:

create notecards for each gallery level, and also the Temple of TILE itself. Think of buying a better teleporter system.

price all collages and also photographs. 2 rooms for photography are still open. Number these rooms? (1-4). Also have 1 room downstairs in the station open for photos/art.

put art in the temple itself?

send notice of gallery opening to all friends

Let’s now bring in Hucka D. to talk more about the future of the Edwardston Station Gallery. Come in Hucka D…

Hucka D.:

Present. (pause) Red plus green. Silver equals union. Gold is beyond silver but too large to comprehend/grasp. Green inside red. Union. Silver. Everything is set up. Door. Future. Past. You are in the right direction. Azure in the past now. Done its job. Go into the woods now. Visit the other gallery. Explore the neighborhood. Open first. Tell friends. Landmark. Open. Door.

bb:

Thank you.

—–

08/13:

Just going to continue in this post instead of starting a new one for today’s update on the gallery development. Found out last night, I believe, that I was going to have to change out all the collages upstairs and make Baker Bloch both the owner and creator. Little quirk involving Baker Blinker as the creator and Baker Bloch as the owner didn’t allow me to price the collages. Changed out 10 of the 20 collages so far — photos and other pictures in lower sections of the gallery weren’t affected. All the photos are priced at 50 lindens, and all the Oblong collages at between 65 and 150 lindens. Also add or modified some notecards today. I’ll add the one about the Edwardston Station to the end of this particular post. I’m done to under 100 usable prims now, but found out just before logging on here that I can buy 1564 more sqaure meters of mainland property and still not raise my monthly tier level of 25 bucks. So I could be on the lookout for more land soon. How exciting! But it would have to be perfect land and ideally I would like to add onto my holdings in Rubi. But we’ll see.

Here’s the Edwardston Station notecard, which may continue to be modified in coming days and weeks. Actually let me add the new notecard for the upstairs gallery and the 10×10 first:

—–

(updated 08/28/08:)

Featured in the collage/world art part of the gallery presently are the 20 collages of the Oblong Collage Series & the 10 collages of the Hidalgo Collage Series. I, baker b./Baker Bloch, created the Oblong series in the spring and summer of 2007. The Hidalgo series came along in early 2008, and was partially inspired by my initial experiences in the Second Life virtual reality. The two series form part of the “10×10” effort begun in 2004, which will eventually comprise 10 tiers of 10 collages arranged in 6-8 such series. The Oblong series makes up tiers 6 and 7 of the projected 10 tier work. The Hidalgo series is tier 8, the last finished so far (Aug. 2008).

The “10×10” is slated to be completed in late 2008/early 2009 with the Wheeler-Jasper series of 20 collages.

Each series of the “10×10”, as well as the effort as a whole, unfurls a kind of storyline, somewhat in the fashion of Max Ernst’s early 20th Century collage novels such as “A Week of Kindness” (1934)http://www.spamula.net/blog/archives/000198.html
Some images from Max Ernst’s collage novels are featured in the West (left) Alcove of this level.

The 1st collage in the Oblong series can be found just outside and to the left of the alcove containing this escalator (Central Alcove) on this level, a work called “It’s All Here!”. Follow the series clockwise around the walls until you reach the 20th (“Lymeyen”) just before the sliding doors marking the entrance to the East Alcove. The Hidalgo series begins inside this alcove and progresses around the walls once more until you reach this Central Alcove again.

All works are very reasonably priced at between 65 and 150 lindens. I am allowing purchasers to modify the collages, but please keep the ratios of the sides true to the original dimensions. That is, if it’s 3×2 meters originally, you can resize to 30×20 if you wish but I would discourage 30×30, for example.

Thanks for visiting!

Baker Bloch
Owner, Edwardston Station Gallery

*****

ADDITIONAL “10×10” INFORMATION

The “10×10” collages began to be produced in late 2004. I, baker b./Baker Bloch, initially had no idea that the project would be so large and long term. One collage followed another, seemingly, in a logical and even necessary manner. In about a month and a half the 1st series of the “10×10”, the Greenup Collage Series, stood complete. It consists of 20 collages that loop back into themselves from end to beginning. That is, the last collage of the series (“Jigkansawyer Neil”) creates an animation with the first collage of the series (“Finding The Niche”). This makes the series perpetual, in a fashion. Many of these earlier collages in the “10×10” were based on photos of a small valley (Greenup Gill) in the Lake District of northwestern England.

It was about a year later that the Rose Hill Collage Series was created (late 2005). When finished, I knew that it then acted as some kind of more or less direct follow-up to the Greenup series, but I still didn’t have any concrete ideas about the overall “10×10”. Unlike the Greenup series and most other series of the entire opus, the Rose Hill series doesn’t make a looped, perpetual system.

I should back up here a bit and point out that roughly every *fourth* collage, as the “10×10” progressed through each series, turned out to make an animation with the collage immediately following. Taking examples from the Oblong series presently exhibited as a whole in the Edwardston Station Gallery, if you look closely you will see that the 6th and 7th, 10th and 11th, and 20th and 1st pairs of collages create these kind of animations with each other.

Moving along, then the Yale series came about around a half year after the Rose Hill series, and it segued seamlessly (timewise) into another series called the Newton series. Usually I see these, thus, as one series called the Yale-Newton Collage Series. However, since both the Yale series and Newton series are looped, I feel they can also be treated as standalone series.

So, really, each batch of collages from these three time periods, as it were, make up separate systems, related but also distinct from one another. The main relationship is the basis upon the number *10* for each *tier* of a system.

Let me explain this crucial bit further, as it helps to link the individual series together and also understand the differences more. In a way, the Greenup series represents the “purest” of any of the systems so far. It represents the blueprint that others have more or less followed. It may be best to see this particular series as not a line of collages but instead a circular one, with the 20th and final collage next to the 1st collage at the top of such a circle. Opposite them on the circle, at the bottom, would be the 10th and 11th collages of the series, which also make an animation with each other like the 20th and 1st. Perpendicular to this opposition would then be another opposition formed by the 5th/6th and 15th/16th collages, more animation sets. So there are 4 animation sets of collages in the Greenup series for a total of 8 in this category as a whole. The remaining 12 collages of the series do not make animations with other collages in the series. But the main point I wanted to make here is that the Greenup series is 20 collages total, right? But it can also be divided into 2 tiers of 10 collages, and these kind of 10 collage tiers actually form the basis of the entire “10×10” and lend it its name even, because the “10×10” is made up of *10* tiers of *10* collages. “10×10,” thus.

So to review the individual series so far, the Greenup Collage Series is 2 such tiers for a total of 20 collages (divided by an animated set in the middle), the Rose Hill Collage Series is one such tier, or the 3rd tier overall (10 collages, then), and the Yale-Newton Collage Series is 20 collages, just like the Greenup series — thus 2 tiers, or the 4th and 5th tier overall in the “10×10”. But in the case of Yale-Newton, the overall series can also be broken down into two looped series comprised of 1 tier of 10 collages apiece, or the Yale series and then the Newton series.

I know this may be quite confusing but it is important to explain because, then, the pattern of these first 5 tiers of the “10×10” and their respective series appears to be repeating *almost exactly* in the second 5 tiers and attached series.

So keeping that in mind, let’s move to the Oblong Collage Series created in the Spring/Summer of 2007. The structure of this series turns out to be very similar to the Greenup Collage Series. One could even say they form an octave relationship with each other. This surprised me since the Oblong series seemed to just evolve naturally this way. So the Oblong series, like the Greenup series before it, is made up of essentially 20 collages, including 4 pairs of animated collages (total equals 8 again, thus).

There are other similarities between the two, some too complicated to go into here. The Lake District is reinvoked in a strong way in the Oblong series, to name one obvious link.

Moving then to the last currently created series, we have the Hidalgo Collage Series, which is the first inspired partially by my experiences in Second Life itself. As the Oblong series is structured much like the Greenup series, so the Hidalgo series (direct follow-up to the Oblong series) turned out to be similar to the Rose Hill series (direct follow-up to the Greenup series). Both are composed of 10 collages that don’t loop into themselves from end to beginning, but which still form an animation in a central pair of collages.

Although not started yet, I can safely say that the next series will be similar to the Yale-Newton series, assuming that this pattern holds true. I also have a name for it: the Wheeler-Jasper series. These will form the 9th and 10th tiers of the overall “10×10”. By late 2008/early 2009, the Wheeler-Jasper series should be in production.

I think I’ve written enough. Enjoy the art and come back to a *living* gallery in the future!

Thanks again,

Baker Bloch
Owner, Edwardston Station Gallery

Edwardston Station Notecard

So here’s the Edwardston Station notecard. I’m going to give the whole note as it stands now and then an add some comments, if needed, by both myself and also Hucka D. Hucka D., are you ready?

Hucka D.:

I am.

bb:

So here’s the note as a whole first:

—–

(amended 8/28/08):

8/18/08 updates:

Several new rooms have been added to the station, making a total of 5 now. Pls. be patient w/ us as the gallery continues to grow and evolve.

*****

The Edwardston Station Gallery is a replica of a much older structure in SL, one standing even before SL began, actually. Let’s deal with particulars before getting more into the story of that. Within the old bathroom areas on this side of the tracks (back) are pictures relating the saga of the Edwardston sim that one of my alts named Esbum Michigan was so interested in just after being born in this virtual world. Quite sadly, the Edwardston sim winked off the grid map during this period of fascination, troubling the very young and impressionable Ms. Michigan deeply. In the ensuing depression she even attempted avatar suicide by jumping out of the 500 meter high Temple of TILE at its former location in the Azure Islands. Like would occur with all of us avatars, this fall to the ground below did not kill her but as in some of our rl dreams she merely “bounced” then casually rubbed off the dust from the rough landing, unharmed. It was then that I decided to collage together this station, also originally found on the Azure Islands property, as some kind of consolation. Thus the name “Edwardston Station” and connected gallery. Or so I thought.

But to the actual pictures. You’ll see Esbum walking through the dense undergrowth she so loved in one; gazing at distant Jagged Peak on a neighboring, simlarly deserted sim in another; and then, most importantly, positioned between the two halves of the pond named for her, Esbum’s Pond, in yet another. Then to finish off we have another shot of the pond more from above, with Esbum magically lowering some kind of enclosed, filthy tube into the two halves, splitting it asunder. This is what she and us others have called the “Missing Piece”, originally found in the Temple of TILE. She never saw this piece again; the sim was removed from the grid the very next day.

There are other pictures in these bathroom areas (8/21 note: these come 1st for now, before you reach the Esbum related pictures). These are mainly of the old Edwardston location, the actual city of which existed, or perhaps still exists, on the distant planet called Mythos in the primary Sirius solar system, so the legend states. Edwardston traditionally was the 3rd largest city of one of the most important countries of that world, called Wazob. But that’s a long story… let’s stick to the station as much as possible and direct connections therein. So notice one of these photos: there’s a “spirit” depicted in the grafitti underneath the trestle bridge nearest Edwardston as translated to its much more mundane Earth location shown in these set of photos. It is a spirit of orange, with a wide smile and void eyes and a floppy point of a head. Now turn to your left as you face this photo. You will see a very similar figure, but this has nothing to do with the former in a causal manner, as psychologist and mystic Carl Jung might have put it. No, this is his meaning-within-accident synchronicity in action, because the figure is one of the last Max Ernst painted during his long and distinguished career as a leading 20th Century artist, and one of the first I ran across while searching for world art on the internet to put into the new gallery. I made the connection with the Edwardston graffiti immediately. Ernst called the painting “Pierrot”, meaning a sad clown. At the top of the escalator here we currently find 2 more late Ernst paintings and are offered an essentially free 3-pack of all these type of paintings, including “Pierrot”. Take them please. Enjoy.

One theory is that, when triangulated, the related pictures give a good indication of what a local “Ancient” might have looked like, in those enlighted but now long forgotten, pre-Linden Atoll days. I’m not sure if these Ancients are the same as the Linden penned Moth People — who first lived on water, then land, then air, as talked about in detail in the Magellan Linden blog — but the Temple of TILE may certainly have some relationship with their temples mentioned therein.

That’s a bare bones description of the pictures you’ll find on this side of the station (8/21 note: the other side of the station (west) is currently under construction). Now to more of the story of the original station…

*****

As the story goes, the original Edwardston Station, that you now stand in a replica of, was older than the Second Life Railroad almost encircling the interior of the Heterocera Atoll continent. This does not seem to make sense, even knowing that the Edwardston Station lies along some kind of forgotten sidetrack splintered off from just this very railroad. You see, time and space have gotten quite mixed up in the Rubi sim because of the permeating magic. In fact, some of the more mystically inclined Ancients still among us would claim the name of this sim is actually Ruby, as is the great forest gracing about 6/10ths of its area.

The Ruby Forest, to them, would still be a very magical place in Second Life, one of its more magical for certain. But again from this viewpoint, the Ruby Forest used to be part of a considerably larger stretch of unbroken timber called the Silver Forest, a name sometimes corrupted, in turn, as the Sylver Forest. One might assume that the offshoot railroad connecting the original Edwardston Station to the Second Life Railroad to the north ran through the Silver Forest at one time. This would only be partially true. Actually, it ran *underneath* the forest; it is a subway rail, then, designed by the Ancients to protect and preserve the Silver Forest’s obvious magical quality, while at the same time allowing cheap and easy transport between this particular region of the Atoll and other regions commonly traveled to.

It is truly fortunate, what with all the regrettable land transformations that came about when the Lindens opened the continent to their grid dwellers, their “residents” (after the Magellan explorations were cut short), that a fraction of the Silver Forest is still preserved today as what one might call this Ruby Forest. Just look at the SL map of the continent and see if you can spot comparable stretches of wooded land. There are still some open stretches of land in the mountainous regions of the Atoll, but none can be called true forests. The Ruby Forest is rather unique then, a natural treasure of sorts. And behind it stands the story of the larger, vaster Silver Forest.

So what exactly comprises the magic of this place that the Ancients, the pre-Linden dwellers of this land, the great magicians of olden times, so went out of their way to protect? A number of clues can be found in another structure now on Edwardston Station Gallery land called the Temple of TILE, another replica of an older structure just like our Edwardston Station here. Have you been to the temple yet? I hope you will take the time in your visit to do so. Once you have walked around the temple then come back to this place, this similarly rather sketchy re-creation of an ancient pre-Linden structure, and read further. If you have already visited the temple and think you have absorbed all that you can without additional help, then read on…

*****

It is at the heart of the temple, in the spinning cube covered with 4 letters and 2 numbers, that the mystery of the I/Y corruption finds its modern translation. It’s Ruby and not Rubi; Silver and not Sylver. So far so good for most conservative, mystically leaning Ancients, and by conservative here I mean as liberal as us mortals might imagine. But — dare we even speculate it? — what if it’s really the other way around, and the *Rubi* Forest now harbours a very potent and condensed magic transferred from the more diffuse magic of the *Sylver* Forest of olden times? After all rubies are usually considered more valuable than silver. In turn, the cube at the very center of the 30mx30mx30m temple should be engraven with the letters T-I-L-E, not T-Y-L-E. Why is it not called the Temple of TYLE or Tyle, then, instead of the Temple of TILE? Meditating on this central koan of the properties can turn our opinions of the current Linden governed metaverse inside-out. Such is the power of this particular place in this particular time. Such is the power of *ourselves* beyond any mystical traditions and leanings.

For it is *we*, the present, who are actually the past and also the future. We have been here before and we will be here again. That is the central mystery.

—–

Hucka D.:

I have no comments at this time.

bb:

Thank you.

Hucka D.:

Thanks to you.

bb:

Thanks.

Temple of TILE Notecard

Here’s another “important” notecard that I created today for the gallery, for the Temple of TILE. This will need some additional revisions as well…

—–

(amended 8/28/08):

The Temple of TILE is a 30m x 30m x 30m cube that sits almost on top of the Edwardston Station Gallery. An understanding of the temple is interlocked with an understanding of the TILE game/philosophy/religion, and also, to delve deeper, the complementary religion/philosophy/game of Tyle.

At the center of the 30x30x30 cube that is the Temple of TILE is positioned a much smaller, spinning cube with 6 figures engraven on its 6 surfaces. Studying this cube closely through different angles offered from the various temple floors — above, below and sideways — eventually gives us the total picture of these figures. We learn, then, that on the 6 sides of the cube are the letters T, Y, L, E and also the numbers 1 and 0 (not to be confused with the letter “O”; don’t do that). We also see that these figures are all colored a particular, unique way on the cube as follows:

T – green
Y – yellow
L – red
E – blue
0 – violet
1 – orange

Staying with the 4 letters, we understand, if only in retrospect, that they spell out the word “Tyle”, knowing now (through this notecard) that Tyle is some kind of complementary partial-philosophy thingie to this TILE thingamajig. But why, one might also ask , is the temple not called the Temple of Tyle instead of the Temple of TILE since the letters on the cube spell out Tyle and not TILE? This is the central mystery of the temple, revolving around the polarity caused by the two complementary yet opposite partial-philosophies.

The only answer that I, Baker Bloch, have for such a question currently is that the temple is in the position it was destined to be, in the Rubi sim that a certain group of mystically leaning Ancients of pre-Linden lore instead called Ruby. Another I/Y dichotomy, you see. So the land the temple is now positioned upon is directly tied into the mysteries of the temple itself, and also the whole Edwardston Station Gallery complex sprawled out directly beneath it. This is strange because the Temple of TILE was created on the Azure Islands, before I even became aware at all of this sim. And the game/philosophy/religion of TILE is much, much older than the temple idea even, although the discovery of the complementary nature of TILE and Tyle is of more recent origin (several years old).

The mystery is too complex to go into any depth in a notecard such as this. Let’s save it for another day and another time. I’ll work on a website — I promise. In the meantime let’s stick to particulars about the temple, how to get into it, how to get around while in it, and then how to get out of the confounded thing the easiest way to return to the gallery if you wish.

*****

The teleporter in front of you presently gives a choice between two additional destination teleporters positioned inside the Temple of TILE. The teleporter coordinates ending in 140 (140m above SL “sea level’) will take you to the central area of the temple: the 10 rocks or rock-colored objects surrounding the central lemon tree and the spinning Tyle (TILE) cube that is cradled within its topmost limbs. The teleporter itself makes up the 11th object surrounding this tree and cube. As I have learned in my various recent and coordinated explorations in SL and RL, 11 correctly placed and psychically adjusted objects are needed to create a portal between the two “realities”. 10 is too few, and 12 is 1 too many. 9 is even less satisfactory, as is 13. And 8 and 14 are right out of the question as far as portal making goes. To insert any other number into the discussion of such would simply be embarassing for the utterer.

The teleporter whose coordinates end in 155 is situated on level 5 of the 7 level temple. This level affords excellent views down to the spinning Tyle cube, with several chairs and tables available for further contemplation. To access different levels from level 5 one can simply jump off the edges. Experiment with using the steep spiral ramp that runs through the entire length of the temple to access higher and lower levels. Do not be afraid to jump and fail. It takes a little time and effort to learn the temple’s various ins and outs. There are also, now, 2 elevator systems to take you to some otherwise inaccessble side rooms filled with Arcadia Asylum objects. I hope you enjoy them — all AA objects are or will soon be free to copy.

The temple also harbors two waterfalls named Big Falls and Lavender Falls. Big Falls, true to its name, is bigger than Lavender Falls by a wide margin. It falls through the entire length of the 30 meter temple, although one can only see the upper 20 meters of the fall from level 3 on up, and the lower 10 meters of the fall from level 2 on down. But it is still a 30 meter drop in toto. Lavender Falls is a self-named 8 prim beauty created by Luna Bliss — a highly recommended product. It exists on level 1, and nice views are found of the waterfall from levels 2, 3 and 6 as well.

These 2 waterfalls, as well as other attempts at aesthetic landscaping in the grassy areas of the temple, all exist in rather marked contrast with urban grunge/hobo Asylum related material found more on the periphery of the Temple of TILE, hidden away from its central core. Contemplate this additional dichotomy as well, if you desire, when meditating on the overall mysteries of the temple.

I should also add — and I’ll end here too — that the Temple of TILE is reputedly a copy of an older and much more solidly built temple from days long past that was situated almost in the same position in Ruby.

Oh: as far as getting out, just find one of the two teleporters in the building and look for teleporter coordinates ending in 101. This will take you back here.

Or you can just fly out the top.

And don’t forget you can walk around corners.
🙂

Enjoy!

Baker Bloch,
Owner, Edwardston Station Gallery.

SID again…

“baker b., I’ve been reading your interview w/ Booker concerning SID’s 1st Oz. Is this all right to talk about in the blog?”

bb:

Talk about this all you want to…

Hucka D.:

Fork in the road. Alma is left behind, on the M continent. Tyle. TILE is the mainlands. You are Noz. Alma is Ms. Blinker. You have destroyed her home. Fork.

bb:

She really cannot exist on the mainland.

Hucka D.:

No. You should provide a home.

bb:

I can’t afford to live on Azure Islands and the mainland at the same time. It’s just not possible.

Hucka D.:

I am glad you went back and got a free beach towel at least (weak smile). But I feel sorry for Ms. Blinker.

bb:

She’ll be fine. She has to stick around since she’s got most of the inventory, the goodies.

Hucka D.:

She is sad.

bb:

There does seem to be a separation in effect.

Hucka D. (after a pause):

Noz must not loose the N. Or else he has to loose the N. You see, it’s already affecting me!

bb:

Are we going back in time or forward? If Azure is the Wazobian province that represents the last holdout of independent sub-countries of Wazob — a name which contains “Oz” by the way — then is this the equivalent to the original creation of Wazob in some way? Edwardston to Gill. to Calypso — 3 to 4 to 5. Octave. Vert to Emerald and Gules to Ruby. That’s what happened, isn’t it?

Hucka D.:

I’m not from that planet. I do not know.

bb:

Edwardston becomes the capital or at least the largest city of the Emerald Province. Traynhamboro is the largest city of the neighboring Ruby province. But the distance between them is the same as the Morg Island and thus Calypso, which plays the…

Hucka D. (yawning and interrupting):

…I thought we were going to talk about SID tonight.

bb (a little taken aback):

Ok Hucka. Should I not talk about that planet?

Hucka D.:

No. Booooorrring.

bb:

But that’s where the actual Edwardston lies.

Hucka D.:

Is it? I thought Edwardston was a sim.

bb:

The actual name of the sim is — was — Alexandria. But I called it Edwardston at the time because Alexandria is a port city on the other most important river in Wazob — outside the Silver again… (Hucka D. yawns more loudly here)… ok, ok, I won’t talk about that world.

Hucka D.:

You can talk about it but not here, not in this blog.

bb:

But what about the quote/unquote “spirit” of Edwardston I found under the trestle bridge just beside Edwardston in *this* world. RL.

Hucka D.:

Yeah, that’s important. That’s an Ancient.

bb:

Hucka D., should I just refer to the Edwardston sim as Alexandria, then?

Hucka D.:

I think it’s too late for that (smiles). Edwardston would be fine. It’s gone anyway. No one cares except us at this point. (pause)

Hucka! I just remembered what I wanted to talk to you about. The Bends!

Grassy Noll:

I am here.

bb:

Oh hello Grassy. Are you speaking for Hucka D. now?

Grassy:

Yep. Been drinking. Between shoots. Got bored. Asked him if I could fill in.

bb:

That’s fine. Are you still in North Dakota?

Grassy:

I went over the edge of that damn dam, you know. Drunk as a skunk. Almost pulled T-Bonz over with me… got swallowed by a sentient turtle who saved me… then realized that this TILE Creek is just a tributary of the New, or where the New starts. Was able to trek all the way to the mouth after the spill. Quite a revelation. Quite an eye opener. TILE Creek… source of New.

bb:

One source. I’ve been having some flashes about Mossman and his civilization.

Grassy (hiccups):

That’s a deep one.

bb:

I believe they created the RIVER portal system.

Grassy:

Yup. Believe they did. Clever creatures. Fearsome to look at, though. And they all look exactly the same, the whole Big Lot of ’em. They can tell each other apart but us outsiders can’t.

bb (reprovingly):

That sounds a bit racist Grassy.

Grassy:

Nope. Not at all. They say so themselves. They’re a Big Lot of ’em.

bb:

It could be handy that you replaced Hucka D. tonight, Grassy — where did Hucka D. go anyway?

Grassy:

He went to get some food. Mumbled something about being bored and hungry. Think he went to the Tasty Freeze.

bb:

Where exactly is this Tasty Freeze?

Grassy:

Over on Highway 9.

bb:

In RL?

Grassy:

Listen, he said you were wanting to talk next about the Temple of TILE, not that big cube of yours but the real one, or what will be the real one. On The Bends.

bb:

Sure. I’d love to hear about that. Hucka D. said in a letter, if I remember correctly, that you became scared when you saw something on an Alabama road map…

Grassy:

Well, yeah. (pause) But that’s not about the temple. We just couldn’t decide where to build the damn thing. (hiccups again). I mean, we were going to build it on Tyler Bend, you know, but gosh and darnit if it didn’t turn out to be a campground! 1st thing I know in the morning is these stupid human kids and their chocolate covered hands were dangling me upside down way up in the air, pretending I was flying or something. Like Mmmmmm’s can fly! Good thing I’m made of good plastic, coz those bastards dropped me right on my head. I could have *actually* lost an arm. Bastards (spitting noise here).

bb:

Grassy, they thought you were a toy… oh, I wanted to talk about my Mossman flashes, just to run it by you and see what you know.

Grassy:

Sure. But we need to talk about Alma in a minute as well.

bb:

You mean Baker Blinker?

Grassy:

Yeah, I suppose. Hucka D. said to say we need to talk about her. Something about a curse. A (hiccup) gypsy curse.

bb:

Alright that sounds pretty interesting. What do you know about that?

Grassy:

No, he said *you* were going to talk about it. Just pries it out of ya. Said it wouldn’t (hiccup) take much.

bb:

Grassy, do you still have that map on you?

Grassy:

I might. What’s it to you?

bb:

I’d like to see it if I can.

Grassy:

It’s not for sale.

bb:

I didn’t say I wanted to buy it. I just want to look at it.

Grassy:

How many lindens do you gots?

bb:

No… not going down that road again. Did Hucka D. put you up to that as well?

Grassy:

I want to go inworld, but I needs some spending money. Lindens. How much you got?

bb:

Alright, alright. How about a 1000?

Grassy:

Hucka D. said to hold out for 3000, so you might as well just give it to me and get it over with.

bb:

Ok… 3000. So where’s the map?

Grassy:

Wait a minute… let me refresh my drink. (Grassy goes away for a bit; returns). Ok, that’s better. Now what in blue blazes were we talking about (laughs)?

Virtual Realities?

“Grassy and I will be your ambassadors to Wazob baker b.”

bb:

I thought you weren’t interested in Mythos, Hucka D.

Hucka D.:

Well, I studied the matter a bit further. There’s enough in it to keep my interest long enough for ambassadoring. Interesting crossovers may be involved. Like the beanstalk to name an obvious one. SL has one, Mythos has one. And both in some of the oldest lands of the respective, ahem, grids.

bb:

You’re talking about Steller’s Beanstalk in SL, Hucka D. I’m assuming. But the beanstalk in Mythos played a larger role in that planet’s history.

Hucka D.:

Let me list out some comparisons — advantages and disadvantages — of each metaverse, for that’s what both are. Let’s just bring in Grassy to help supplement my talking.

Grassy (entering):

Yeah, just waiting in the hallway for my cue.

Hucka D.:

So I was telling baker b. that you and I have been studying the matter. We’ve both read “Notebook I” now baker b. We both agree that Mythos, or at least Wazob, and SL find a communication juncture now, through this property. So to the comparisons. Grassy… do you have the list?

Grassy (unfolding large piece of paper drawn out of his pocket):

Right here. So… should I start?

Hucka D.:

Go ahead. I’ve already mentioned the beanstalks but just read what we’ve written.

Grassy:

Ok (clears throat). So (looks over at Hucka D.), I’ll just start with the beanstalks then, I guess. Both have them, as Hucka D. said, and both in the oldest sections. But for Mythos, er, Wazob, it has added significance.

Hucka D.:

Yes, baker b., for this is where Thomas Eckardt enters the picture. We’ve also been studying up on the Booker T. material. I hope to meet Booker one day.

Tis ok. So, yeah, I suppose that’s a third beanstalk. Alright to say where this was, or should have been, or still is… in that location?

Hucka D. (answering for Grassy):

We know this was located in or near Cairo.

bb:

But not Egypt.

Hucka D.:

No. Missouri. Illinois, I mean. Cache River.

bb:

This beanstalk was used to connect Earth with Mars.

Hucka D.:

Mars being the same as Oz.

Grassy:

Says here in these notes that when the beanstalk was chopped down the connection was severed. Mars separated from Earth.

Hucka D.:

That was the death of Thomas Eckardt. The beanstalk was only chopped down at the moment of death. Or he chopped it down, in his fantasies, right before death. He knew it was coming. And he separated himself from the fantasy. But then Baum continued it, but without the grounding. Earth. It was all up in the air after that. Oz from Mars.

bb:

Hucka D., do you still believe that you are Rupert?

Hucka D.:

Yes.

bb:

That means you are the successor to Baum, just as Eckardt is the predessesor.

Hucka D.:

That would be correct. I resurrected the Martian connection through the Wizard’s Cube, based upon the Magic Square of Mars. Oz… Mars. The Wizard Cube.

bb:

The beanstalk of Mythos, then, is merely a reflection of this truer beanstalk of Eckardt’s, correct?

Hucka D.:

Yeah. Suppose so.

bb:

Well, let’s get back to that. Grassy, what else is on your list?

Grassy:

Ok (clears throat again, scans document before reading). Got here that Mythos is a sphere and SL is not. Hucka D. checks “advantage Mythos”. (Grassy looks up here, and others nod for him to continue). Ok, then Mythos has much less water than SL, but no advantage either way. Then: Mythos based on Earth locations, SL not. Advantage Mythos again. Then: Mythos not open to settlement; only “natives”. Advantage: undetermined.

Hucka D.:

Let me add here that there is no land for sale in Mythos, and no real world interaction with the various landmasses or continents. It’s all native land. That’s an advantage in that the world hasn’t fallen. But it’s a disadvantage because there’s no interaction with real life except though the Earth location basis. So it’s also undetermined if one can actually separate this virtual reality, this supposed Grid, from this Earth location. And that’s where we must examine the Sirius connection, for in the Sirius system this would represent the planet [Jefferson], the 3rd of the primary Sirius system. The M/N planet [Madison], would be the fourth. This is another loose parallel to Earth and Mars… in fact, the M/N planet is reportedly Mars-like in size. There’s strong indication that Mythos represents this [Jefferson] and SL represents [Madison]. But if so, it would be an SL in the future, because [Madison] is a also a sphere-world, like Mythos/[Jefferson], and SL is not presently. But the main connection seems to be the Alma/Rupert/Noz trio of interacting avatars. This would be you baker b., in your masculine and feminine aspects — AlMaNoz in total — and then me tacked on as well [Rupert].

bb:

What does all this mean? (turns to Grassy): Sorry Grassy, we’ll get back to the list in a moment…

Hucka D.:

It means that Azure Islands has a loose parallel with the M Continent that Alma acted as queen of, perhaps. All three: Rupert, Alma, and Noz, originated on this continent, but only Alma stayed there more or less permanently. This story is repeating itself in SL now with our family. Baker Blinker, read: Alma, has been left behind on Azure, while Baker Bloch, read: Noz, has moved to the mainlands and has taken Ms. Blinker’s gallery with him. The gallery could not exist on Azure Islands. Then there is the TILE/Tyle polarity tied into this. Alma began the Tyle religion/philosophy/game as a reaction to the game/philosophy/religion of TILE, which was a mainland product on the M/N planet just like it is or will be in SL. This is tied to the Temple of TILE now on the mainlands here in Ruby. This centering of the TILE temple in its true position covers up the fact that at the very center we have not TILE but Tyle… the letters of which are engraven on the much smaller, exactly centered, spinning cube in the middle of the temple. TILE is an older partial-philosophy, though. It is pre-Sirian. It is from Lyra. Vega. it is older just like the mainlands are older than Azure Islands. AI’s formed as a reaction to the mainlands and Linden rule. They are a step closer to OpenSim, which will be or actually is offworld. Another Grid, or set of Grids. This was built into the whole system to begin with, though. Like the seed of Tyle is found at the very center of the Temple of TILE. A corruption seeded at the very beginning. An escape. A growth beyond the old into the new. For Alma, this is the establishment of a true Sirian government beyond older, more ingrained power of TILE. This is what you have now carried back to the mainlands. You have set up the Temple of TILE, but in the middle is Tyle. You could be moving backwards in time, then.

bb:

Hold on Grassy for just a moment (turning to Hucka D. again): Hucka D., you claim to be Rupert, or will be Rupert in the future, or have been him in the past.

Hucka D.:

Both.

bb:

Why is it so important to connect Oz with Mars, to reestablish this Eckardt vibration?

Hucka D.:

Because the Eckardt vibration must be reestablish. (pause)

Grassy:

(clearing throat again in the silence): Can I continue with my list now?

Hucka D.:

Yes, I think that’s a good idea. But I would like to expand upon the comment about the Mythos lands, or at least the Wazobian lands, not being open to outside settlement. Only “natives” exist there. But we do not even know that a virtual reality can exist without outside settlement. There would be no “users”. All would be permanent settlers or natives, true, but…

Grassy:

That’s what Hucka D. and I have to find out. A special goodmobile is being prepared for our journey. We set sail Tuesday from First Tree. We have special permission — yes — to use the original goodmobile that broght we Mmmmmm’s from Hades [which seems to mean the same as the planet Pluto to these people]. it was difficult to pull off, but, as a famous celebrity, I have some string-pulling ability. But it is the only vehicle that the Mmmmm’s ever owned that would be powerful enough to go all the way to Mythos, the Earth/grounding part. So that’s why we had to have it. And Hucka D. agrees with me here, don’t you Hucka?

Hucka D.:

Yes. We set sail Tuesday. We didn’t want to scare your mother, baker b., so we didn’t want to land in or around Bridee.. you old house [near the location of the Mythos beanstalk]. So we thought we’d choose Edwardston. We’re going to try to find the doorway between the Earth location and the projected Mythos city at that particular location. The picture of the Ancient nearby was encouraging enough for us to give it a try.

bb:

Well guys, why don’t I just slip you into my backpack and I’ll take you down to Mythos the next time I go.

Hucka D.:

No, that’s too easy. We have to use the Goodmobile.

Grassy:

Plus I’m going to film the whole thing! This is going to be my greatest adventure yet. Salad Bar Jack Through The Doorway To Mythos. Working title, mind you.

Actually, we gotta run. Gotta get our regular sleeping patterns down before the big trip.

bb:

Ok, I’ll let you and Hucka D. go. So we’ll save the rest of the list for later?

Grassy:

Right.

(to be continued?)

Waterfalls Extended, Then… 1st Venture Outward

Thought I’d go ahead and write the text for this post tonight, as I’m getting considerably behind on this chore. Now this is Baker Bloch’s first blog-chronicled exploration of the landscape surrounding the new gallery. Here he stands on the property immediately to the north, looking up at the Temple of TILE looming over him. Here I should probably write about the two waterfalls within the temple that now “leak out” of it and down toward the gallery, as you can see in this first snapshot. The larger volumed waterfall to the right is the direct extension of Big Falls within the temple, which now falls to just outside the upper gallery window (but, “mysteriously”, not into the middle or lower levels of the gallery, as gravity would dictate).

Then the smaller, line-like drop is a similar, lower extension of Lavender Falls, which falls into this pool just below the place where all the teleporters are on the middle level. There were some interesting little measurement synchronicities happening during the extension of these 2 waterfalls that I might get into later. In short, these seem to be indicating to me that the waterfalls were needed to link the two structures together more, gallery and temple. I like ’em.

Then it’s off to the north through the Ruby Forest, which may be the remnant version of the Silver Forest. Oh… that reminds me, I’ll try to create a post tonight about a new picture in the subway part of the gallery that relates directly to this, and where this whole Silver-Ruby association *re*-started for me. Remind me if I forget. 🙂

A look back down the road that runs through the entire middle of the temple. All this has changed in the meantime… I’ll give updated pictures of the gallery asap.

Sitting on a warf extending into a small pond directly north of the gallery, before reaching the Ruby Forest proper, actually.

Baker Bloch wonders how the water can be frozen this time of year (!).

Looking into the heart of the mini-wilderness that is the Ruby Forest.

Baker Bloch *does* seem to be loitering around the edge of the forest closest to the temple. Is he still slightly afraid to enter? (remembering Hucka D.’s warning that it could be haunted). Probably so. Stiff upper lip Baker Bloch!

1st Venture Outward (Cont.)

Baker Bloch finally takes the plunge and enters the forest proper. There’s a certain palpable characteristic to the forest that he hasn’t quite found the words for yet. He’s working on it. Here he examines, close up, the bark of a tree, perhaps for more of those Green Man apparitions such as happened with the eucalyptus tree in B_Hivia. Not surprisingly then, perhaps, he finds these same kind of trees in this particular forest (not pictured here, though — I believe this is a cypress tree instead).

Ah yes. There’s the eucalyptus trees. Baker Bloch has a desire to inventory all the trees of the forest, as well as drawing maps of the place. We’ll see if he carries through with these projects.

Then it’s out of the forest on the north side and back on one of those patented Atoll roads. Nicer than most of the paved Sansara roads don’t you think?

Egads, another huge cube! This one is 28x28x28 meters, slightly smaller than the temple. I believe this would be a representation of a Borg Cube. I wonder if anyone has thought the temple such a borg collective?? Well, it’s not in the least.

And then almost just across the road we find the beginning of the Great Wall of the Atoll, a structure that now has considerably more impact on my Atoll experiences since I now own property directly bordering it.

Loose Thoughts…

Tried to read “Notebook I” myself (from 1981, a long time ago!), and it was hard going after the first 2 chapters. Although I was a little insulted at the time now I know why Hucka D. asked if I was about 12 when I wrote it! Haven’t decided if I want to try to tackle Notebooks II, III, and IV (Bruno) yet in this review… all of the “Mythos Notebooks” in other words. Difficult now to understand what I was thinking or what I was going through at the time. But I believe there is something to “guard” at any rate.

Hucka D. and Grassy have called off their intended flight to Mythos, specifically Edwardston. Well I should say it was probably called off for them. The elders of the Mmmmmm’s decided that the likelihood of avatars living in Mythos is low. Besides, they explained to Grassy Noll, the 1st goodmobile is a national treasure, and not one to really be used as a movie prop, no matter if the most famous actor in the history of Mmmmmm cinema is doing the asking — who, by the way, is another national treasure and shouldn’t be putting his life at stake on such a dangerous seeming voyage and with a vehicle that hasn’t been up and running in eons. So the more the elders thought about it the more they saw that there was no way they’d let Grassy take the 1st goodmobile and fly to Mythos.

After Grassy calmed down, he saw their reasoning. He studied their decree. He saw the clarity of their hypothesis that stated the first actual avatars in the real world were toys such as the Mmmmmm’s and the Mossmen. Toy avataring was at least symbolically born in New Hope, beyond any resonance with distant Mythos for Blue Mountain. Section 8 of the writing 10×10 explains this in some detail.

There are two hiking mythologies that have developed for me, baker b., over the years. Mythopolis and Blue Mountain. Blue Mountain (the 2nd), however, went beyond Mythopolis (the 1st) — exteriorized beyond it — at New Hope, when we returned to Blue Mountain seemingly for good in 1995 (and we’re still there). Somehow the toy avatar story is tied to this exteriorization now. And this is the same information the Mmmmmm elders were tapping into when making their decision about Grassy’s proposed journey to Mythos. They have then declared Mythos a “dead” world and unfit to travel to because of the dangers involved. Grassy has come to accept it.

Let’s just bring in Grassy to talk about it some more. Grassy?

Grassy:

Right.

bb:

I was just talking about the elders canceling your journey. But they’ve given you an alternative, haven’t they?

Grassy:

Yeah, it’s travel to the Mossmen’s original home up way beyond Herman Park and even Frank Park. I suppose it will be fun.

bb:

It’s a lot closer than Mythos, though.

Grassy:

Yup. Hucka D. hasn’t decided if he’s going with me or not. He has that option, though.

bb:

And you won’t be taking the 1st goodmobile.

Grassy:

Nah. A less souped up version will do for this journey. Inferior power but more modern and tested.

bb:

Has anyone else signed up to go with you?

Grassy:

Well, I haven’t seen the actor who plays T-Bonz in a while. Dirk Stew. Wanda Fish has expressed an interest. But Wanda is crazy. Nuts. An overzealous groupie thing, you know. She follows me around like a puppy. Have issued about 7 restraining orders along the way. So she’s not going.

bb:

Tell me more about the journey. Have you planned anything else out yet besides the mode of travel?

Grassy:

Oh I forgot to say that I’ll probably be taking Gene Fade with me, the actor who plays the Mossman in the TILE River movie. He’s very interested to see the original homeland for his people. And he knows all the legends and histories so that’ll be real handy.

bb (seeing Hucka D. enter):

Oh, here’s Hucka D. as well. Hello Hucka D.

Hucka D.:

Hi.

bb:

So you’re traveling with Grassy on this new adventure?

Hucka D.:

I might. Listen, we need to talk about The Jug.

bb:

Alright.

Hucka D.:

It is a point that extends into a line. But all you can see is the point from the outside. It’s a string thing.

bb:

Ok.

Hucka D.:

You can hide stuff there. Like information. Storage. No one will know, though.

bb:

I don’t know where this is going…

Hucka D.:

Missing Piece.

(to be continued?)

—–

Updates: Gallery

Did a considerable amount of revising today… hours and hours worth. Added not one but 2 new station rooms in the subway, both undeveloped yet, though. And then in the 3 station areas already down there played around a lot w/ textures. Created a Charleston themed front room, an Esbum room, and a Ernst themed front room. I’ll give photos soon. I don’t know what I’m doing but it’s still a whole lot of fun!

I’ll have to update the notecards when I can as well to reflect the changes and new construction.

Then on Photographers’ Road I literally raise the roof on all 4 rooms as far as possible before entering the upper gallery. Considerably more breathing space now… before they were intimate but a little cramped.

Revised textures on Temple to eliminate overlapping prims on corners, as much as possible. But unfortunately had to delete pinball machine and Burger Time inside because I’m running out of prims to work with.

Revised colors/text of teleporter system to be darker, either green or gray. Bigger “Up” and “Down” at the middle level where people will beam in.

And I believe Baker Bloch made his first sales today! 300L was added to his account since I last checked. Can you frame a linden dollar?

Anyway it was another busy day at the gallery. Actually was working on an extension of the upper gallery but decided to delete it for now. But I see that room for expansion is there. Also I could possibly add another room or two to the middle level (Photographers’ Road).

Forgot to say I extended the road now another 10 meters back, and moved the tables… everything on that level back accordingly. This is because the subway room I added furtherest south on the property made me have to move the little pond that I want the table to be positioned above. It looks pretty good… I think these particular expansions were a no brainer. The other room I added just slipped in under the tunnel leading to the middle level room 1.

Anyway, I better end this here. Will post more updates as they come…

Oh, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to create a web site for the gallery, perhaps a pretty large one.

No congrats inworld on the gallery opening, which was a little disappointing. But people are busy.

Gotta run,
Baker Bloch.

08/19/08:

Will add updates to this post for now. Today went ahead and installed 2nd working escalator in the gallery in the 5th (southernmost) room of the subway, and built a new wing to the upper level around it. Think I got around the best way to collage the old and new upper parts together as best as possible.

Then on the middle level I 1st merged all three west photo rooms together into one, then unmerged the frontmost one from the back ones. Then made tunnel extend all the way across road to connect to lone east room, which I then subsequently decided to open up since my best landscaping area lies in that direction. Will build that up soon.

But sadly I’m going to have to delete more from the TILE temple. Maybe everything in the AA related rooms (except chairs, perhaps), and perhaps all stuff on 1st floor. Probably need 50 additional prims to create more photos… we’ll see what can be done.

Lot’s of stuff going on (!). Do I rearrange the whole Oblong series upstairs now? Perhaps add the Hidalgo series to it now? Most likely the latter. How about the Yale-Newton series even? (Rose Hill? Greenup?).

How to logically redivide all this up. It was pretty simple up til yesterday! But things are better now. Progressing. Temple will suffer, though. Keep waterfalls (?)

Look for cheap land… take donations in gallery.

Yes, I think the new wing will be the replacement for the old Hidalgo Gallery, in essence.

Opened up the bathrooms into each other downstairs, making 2 large rooms. Then added ramp across rails so that you can go down escalator and walk in “S” pattern to other escalator, taking in most of the walls. This is better. Then you can go back up escalator and make a giant circle if one wishes.

08/20/08:

More work on the gallery: it was a hard decision but I decided to basically delete all Arcadia Asylum related stuff from the Temple and then seal up the outside. Tought to do, but it did free up perhaps 80 more prims for me to work with. The gallery must be the focus now. Will put a *lot* of Edna Blinker photos all around. Themed rooms. So I’m presently going through her flickr account and downloading what attracts me most. I’ll get her opinion as well. I seem to be attracted to the abstract in her art.

Things ta do:

* go through Edna’s flickr account and download pictures. Then do another screening process. I already did this when setting up her Charleston themed room (which is now downstairs). I could just make all 3 west rooms of the subway her domain… might be a good idea. And give her probably 2 rooms on the middle section as well. I’ve personally requested a Land of Oz room, and will select old photos of hers before new ones will be added in just a little over a month, when the festival is held again (!) Then for me it’s readding the Hidalgo collage series to its old position in the gallery, just like in the original Hidalgo Gallery. Seems so long ago! Hard to remember when the gallery was created in two parts on the old treehouse skybox, before B_Hivia. And now even B_Hivia is gone. But I’m not giving up the temple that easily: the core is still there, the important bits. This would be the lemon tree and spinning Tyle cube atop it, surrounded by the 11 essential objects, and then viewing points must be given still. The waterfalls are also still in the temple, because they now “leak” out of it and down toward the gallery. So those must be there for the waterfall parts of the gallery to make sense. I probably won’t be eliminating those (Lavender Falls and Big Falls). But outside of that, some rocks, and a number of tables and chairs nothing remains in the temple. Oh, I forgot the big cypress is still there, and the bamboo on level 1. But the temple as a whole could be said to have returned to a pure state, pre-Asylum, who is now represented, instead, in the ground gallery in the subway system, etc. The subway system is now blooming with art, though, and not just graffiti art this time.

Later on I’ll probably work on the temple some more but for now it will represent a cleaner and leaner, stripped down version of its former self. Perhaps it reached its “peak” on Azure Islands with the Sewer Wing (which was deleted in move to Ruby). I did keep 4 of the little windows Baker Blinker made to plug in the holes where the pipes use to be inserted into the temple over in AI. Just as decoration now, though.

So 100 prims now… let’s see how long it takes me to eat those up!
Over and out for now,
Baker Bloch
Owner, Edwardston Station Gallery.

*****

08/21/08:

Photographers’ Road rooms are settling in more. Rooms 2 and 3, now open to each other on on end, are devoted to Edna’s Land of Oz photos, which work really nicely here. Then I moved all of Klutzy Kamper’s photos in one room, combining Grandfather and Glacier Nat. Park photos (I think the latter are stronger), and then putting otter picture on outside of room entrance. Works nicely again. Must decide if remaining room on this level, or room 1, will be devoted to Edna’s Charleston photos or if that will be put elsewhere.

Will insert Hidalgo collage series upstairs today or tomorrow and then that will be done — for now.

Then there’s the subway.:) Actually that’s settled down a bit as well, but I’ve closed up most of it because I just don’t know what the heck is going to go there. When the gallery was first layed out, when it opened, I only determined to have photos and pictures directly related to Edwardston (Wazobian “city” and also the sim that Esbum Michigan was so fascinated with), so now that we have a general “S” pattern for the subway i’ve decided to put all of these kinds of pictures in the first two bathroom areas you enter, and also probably not manipulate the decor (walls, floors). So problem solved there apparently… need 1 or 2 more “Edwardston” pictures to fill this part out. Then you exit this large room now — essentially 4 bathroom areas merged into 1 — and then I run out of pictures so far. All of this area is built around what I’d call the Grand Hall of the subway, which is 6 bathroom areas opened up to each other in a row (behind 3 station platforms). There’s a phantom door to the southern pond of the property on the south side. But my thinking now is that the wallpaper and floor of this area has got to go. Think I’ll experiment with this gallery area on the Gliese property, to see what i can come up with. So I may have to pay another week’s worth of rent on that property.

Ideas for that area? Well, I could turn it over to Edna’s photos again. She’ll have the 2 Oz rooms upstairs and also the Charleston room, while Klutzy will have his Grandfather/Glacier room. But it’s nifty that I have a considerable amount of space yet to develop, what with all the filling in of the gallery I’ve already done. This could be just a random gallery of Edna’s photos, then, beyond Charleston and Oz. Morganton, doors, Pocahontas. I’ll have to scan her photos again. Could put one of my collage series here, but I’m not sure that would fit in. But maybe really do this room up. Still have 73 prims to work with, and can buy more property, I suppose, as an early Xmas present — have to clear that with Edna of course.

But that’s how it stands right now. Dare I bring it up?– might add a *4th* (smaller) level to the gallery, perhaps connecting the newer escalator to that level instead of the one it’s on (???). But if there’s a 4th level it will be smaller and in the center of the gallery area.

Chatting w/ Hucka?

“Hi Hucka D. Always nice to know you’re around to talk to.”

Grassy:

Hi baker b.

bb:

Oh… hello Grassy. Hucka D. not around tonight?

Grassy:

He’s around but he’s busy. Origami animals.

bb:

Alright. So do you want to talk some with me tonight, then?

Grassy:

Yeah, sure. I’m pretty sober tonight though, so I might not make much sense, he he.

bb:

I wanted to just check in with Hucka and maybe chat a bit about the gallery. Have you been to the gallery yet Grassy?

Grassy:

Hucka D. took me to the temple when it was on the Azure Islands. You’ve moved as I understand.

bb:

Yeah… Grassy, can you tell the future — and the past — like Hucka D.?

Grassy:

Some. What do you want to know. (pause) I know more about the toy avatars, understandably (smiles).

bb:

Do you know of the Silver Forest? Or the Sylver Forest?

Grassy:

I know that toys use to be there is all.

bb:

Really? How? I mean, this is an SL thing.

Grassy:

Well baker b., toys used to be here and will be here again. Mossmen are from here. It wasn’t the moth people, you see, it was the *moss* people. Mossmen. And women. He-men.

bb:

I’m not quite buying that Grassy. And you say you’re sober tonight?

Grassy:

Pretty much so, but just drunk enough to make a little sense. Talk straight. I’m shooting straight for you here. The Lindens got it a little warped. But really there’re two possible worlds here. Actually a whole bunch. I’ll be back in a minute… gonna refresh my drink.

bb:

Easy with the drinking tonight Grassy. I want to clear this up as much as possible.

(pause as Grassy refreshes drink)

bb:

Grassy, where exactly are you now.?

Grassy:

I’m at my flat. On the range. (pause) Smooth sailing.

bb:

Getting back to the moss people… I thought they came from near the source of RIVER.

Grassy:

Mossmen built the original Temple of TILE. Think about that. You need to think about Hemen and Hermen… Herman. Heman and Herman I suppose. Frank and Herman. Frankenstein. Another Mossman? (sips drink). Maybe, hmmm.

bb:

Grassy, what are you on about?

Grassy:

Mossmen built the temple here. Not yours but the original one, the real one. This was in a sideways world to their existence on the RIVER. It’s because of their control of the portals, you see. They’ve been here before. 11 objects around a center, placed in just the right way, creates one of these portals. Keep an eye out. You saw one on Ben Azure’s island, just before the island moved.

bb:

[delete name] said there was a logical explanation for that movement.

Grassy:

Might be, but also it doesn’t explain why you noticed it just after finding the portal. You should go back there. Swing in the hammock. The mossmen are friendly enough, just fearsome to look at. Gene [Fade]’s a decent enough guy, for example. Have you met him?

bb:

Kind of. Grassy, I wonder how much of this has to do with West Virginia… The Jug. They have a moth monster there, which may also be a moss monster. And then the Braxton monster near Strange Creek, where, um, uh… anyway, I think West Virginia may be involved.

He was/is/will be a Mossman, as those crazy creatures say in their mixed up way. (pause) There’s a Big Lot of ’em.

(to be continued?)

Untitled…

“Hi Hucka D. Sorry I’m late with this.”

Grassy:

Hello baker b.

bb:

Hello again Grassy. Hucka D. taking the night off again?

Grassy:

Suppose. He mumbled something about “standard stuff”.

bb:

Ok Grassy. Let’s talk a bit if you wish.

Grassy (pulling out another list from his pocket and reading):

Ahem (pause to scan list). Hucka D. says that a new era is upon us — yet again. Era of beehives, Asylum, and gallery expansions is over. (looks up at bb., then back down). Azure I. is in the rear view mirror. Sadness. Loss of Baker Blinker for the most part. But had to happen. (pause). Another item here is… well, he says to wait here because you’ll have comments.

bb:

Yeah, I do, if only for the 2 or 3 readers of this blog (smiles). I predict that Oz is up next.

Grassy:

Hey, that’s what it says here you’d say! Hucka D. says to keep silent and you’ll tell more, and not to reveal too much myself. So go ahead sir.

bb:

Well, I suppose this is more about SID’s 1st Oz…

Grassy (interrupting):

Trick! Hucka D. says to wait and see if you say that, which he says you in all likelihood will, and then correct you and say this is more about Dark Side of the Rainbow.

bb:

Hmmm, well let me think about that and I’ll get back to you… him… you guys.

Grassy:

Hucka D. says to say here, in a mysterious tone of voice if possible: “in the woods”.

bb:

Woods again.

Grassy:

He now says to log on and go into the woods. Now.

bb:

Grassy, he says stuff like that and nothing happens most likely.

Grassy:

Hucka D. says to say tonight will be differently. He says to say we are starting the 7th era.

(bb. waits for more…)

He says that (looks up to see if bb will reply yet, then back to document)… the 7th will be so mysterious as to defy description so he won’t even try in this list. And that’s the utter truth. (pause). I’m just reading this off baker b.

bb:

Well, what do you think Grassy? Will you be around during this 7th era? Obviously you’re here for what is probably the start of it, perhaps this initial post.

Grassy:

Hucka D. says to wait for this comment and then say that, yeah, I’ll be a part of it in a large way, me and the Mossmen, and Gene Fade in particular. (pause) Hucka D. now says to insist that you will log in.

bb:

Ok, I give up. I’m logging in.

Grassy:

Hucka D. says to log out of this blog first, but you can return tonight to this post if you wish.

bb:

Ok.

(to be continued?)

*****

bb:

Grassy, I’ve decided that now wouldn’t be a good time to buy extra land. Grassy?

Hucka D.:

He’s getting drunk. I’m here.

bb:

Hey, what’s up?

Hucka D.:

A lot, but not much as well.

bb:

Coolie. So what you been up to these several days Hucka D.?

Hucka D.:

Praying. Hoping. God willing.

bb:

Strange thing to say… are you a religious per…bee?

Hucka D.:

No.

bb:

Are you a philosophical bee? Or a lover-of-games bee?

Hucka D.:

Yes. We need to talk about The Jug.

bb:

Yes, I think that was mentioned before.

Hucka D.:

We need to go. Very soon.

bb:

That’s the center, isn’t it?

Hucka D.:

Yes. Hare. SID. Newt. Spectacles. Lost. *Bee*. Me. Groundedness. Loss of. Not wound up, and not in a good way. Not perpetual motion machine. Syd to SID and TILE to Tyle. Beehive and b_hive. 1161 and 273. Time and timelessness. Ruby and Silver. Opal. Opel. Lost 26th. Found 25th. 703 and 666. 37, 36. Esbum. Suicide. Death in Pool of the Dead. Azure Islands. Lost. Baker Blinker. Lost. Hope and prayers are with us. God. Clyde. Superbum. You have been led back to SID.